11/30/12 – New Investment in Sequoia Sciences Could Lead to Faster Returns for the St. Louis Arch Angels

St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 30, 2012… The St. Louis Arch Angels Network, which works to provide seed and early-stage capital to local entrepreneurs, recently learned that the local pharmaceutical company that has received more investment dollars from the network than any other start-up is poised to make a huge step forward thanks to additional funding from other sources. Over the past several years, Arch Angels members have invested $6.6 million in St. Louis-based Sequoia Sciences, which, among its other promising endeavors, is developing a vaccine for the treatment and prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections. Thanks to that early support from the Arch Angels and a recent additional investment of $1.5 million by Prolog Ventures and Holton Capital, Sequoia is now planning to start Phase 1 clinical trials in January 2013.

For the upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial, the FDA has allowed women who get four or more urinary tract infections a year to participate, a significant step since Phase 1 trials, which are focused on safety, typically only include healthy individuals. This means the trial will include some of the most impacted women, allowing Sequoia to successfully measure efficacy in the Phase 1 trials, a year and a half earlier than would typically be expected. This investment is facilitating that acceleration and will allow Sequoia to move one step closer to licensing its primary product to a pharmaceutical company and marketing the vaccine.

Prolog Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in life sciences, and Holton Capital, a private equity firm investing in St. Louis businesses, are both based in St. Louis. The two companies’ investment in Sequoia validates the initial investment made by the Arch Angels.

“It’s exciting for a venture firm like Prolog, which has the scientific expertise to carefully evaluate this kind of a program, to determine that it’s an opportunity in which they want to invest,” notes Steve Trampe, chairman of Sequoia. “It validates what we’re doing and helps to attract additional investments from firms like Holton Capital.”

Sequoia Sciences’ goal is to improve the quality of life for those individuals significantly affected by acute bacterial infections, like urinary tract infections, and other chronic infections involving bacterial biofilms. The availability of a vaccine would cut down on the number of doctor’s visits – currently 15 million annually – used to treat urinary tract infections.

Sequoia, which was founded in 2000, has raised close to $30 million in funds and has seen about $6 million in revenue. The investment made by the Arch Angels is the largest investment Sequoia has received from one group of investors. To date, the St. Louis Arch Angels has invested more than $28 million in 34 companies.

“These additional investments in Sequoia are indicative of the sense of partnership and cooperation from St. Louis-based funding sources for interesting investment opportunities,” noted Gil Bickel, chairman of the St. Louis Arch Angels.”

For more information about Sequoia, visit www.sequoiasciences.com. For more information about the St. Louis Arch Angels, visit www.stlouisarchangels.com, or call 314.444.1151.

The St. Louis Arch Angels Network was established in January 2005 as an independent, 501c(6) not-for-profit corporation. Arch Angel members, who are business leaders from the St. Louis region, provide seed and early-stage capital in the range of $250K-$1M, an investment range not generally served by venture capitalists. The St. Louis Arch Angels Network has invested more than $28 million in 35 companies.

For more information, contact:

Julie Hauser, The Hauser Group (314) 436-9090

Chris Walsh, St. Louis Arch Angels (314) 444-1151

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